Oscar contenders that lost out over controversies

Oscar hopefuls marred by external factors

EDDIE MURPHY IN DREAMGIRLSThis is pretty suppositional, but Murphy's excellent performance as a Marvin Gaye/James Brown composite was an Oscar favourite for a while. Then, just as the voting began in earnest, Norbit came out. (DreamWorks photo)

AP

THE COLOR PURPLEWith Steven Spielberg, Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, it seemed like the kind of racial comfort-food tailor-made for Oscars. And it did get 11 nominations. Then supporting actress nom Margaret Avery took out an unfortunate ad in a trade paper that read, in part, "Dear God, My name is Margaret Avery. I knows dat I been blessed by Alice Walker, Steven Spielberg, and Quincy Jones...Now I is up for one of the nominations fo' Best Supporting Actress alongst with some fine, talented ladies that I is proud to be in the company of."
The ad was not well-received, and it seemed to be a karma killer. The Color Purple didn't win a single Oscar.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAINAng Lee's "gay cowboy" movie was deemed to be such a lock for best picture that presenter Jack Nicholson said, "Wow!" when he read out the title Crash.Was Hollywood homophobic? Who knows? But two since-deceased actors, Ernest Borgnine and Tony Curtis both invoked the name of John Wayne in their slagging of the film. "If John Wayne were alive, he'd be rolling in his grave!" Borgnine said (though we suspect he'd be banging on the casket lid yelling to be let out).In any case, given the average age of Academy voters, the idea that the Duke would hate Brokeback would probably be a deal-breaker. (Focus Features/Handout)

REUTERS

GANGS OF NEW YORKJust before the awards, Martin Scorsese's film, with Daniel Day-Lewis, was honoured with an endorsement in L.A. area newspapers ostensibly by ex-Academy president Robert Wise. Then it was revealed that the endorsement was ghost-written by an employee of Harvey Weinstein and Miramax. A significant number of Academy members reportedly asked for their ballots back.

THE HURRICANEBob Dylan wrote a song about his injustice and Canadians helped free him. But by the time Denzel Washington got his Oscar nom, Norman Jewison's version of the story of boxer-turned-convicted murderer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, was taking a beating from people who still felt Carter was guilty - including relatives of the victims and people who participated in Carter's murder trial. (George Kraychvk/Universal Pictures)

With the election over, the political football was punted to the left side of the field, where the movie's opening water-boarding scenes were painted as implicit "approval" of torture.

The meme apparently remains within the Academy that a vote for Zero Dark Thirty is a vote for Dick Cheney and Abu Ghraib. Bigelow's exclusion from the best director list, after becoming the first Oscar-winning female director ever with The Hurt Locker, lends credence to the theory.

It'll be that much more credible if Jessica Chastain fails to win Best Actress. As good as Jennifer Lawrence was in Silver Linings Playbook, Chastain is in nearly every frame (save for the SEAL Team Six raid) and shoulders the entire movie.

Herewith, some other Oscar contenders apparently undermined by outside factors.

With the election over, the political football was punted to the left side of the field, where the movie's opening water-boarding scenes were painted as implicit "approval" of torture.

The meme apparently remains within the Academy that a vote for Zero Dark Thirty is a vote for Dick Cheney and Abu Ghraib. Bigelow's exclusion from the best director list, after becoming the first Oscar-winning female director ever with The Hurt Locker, lends credence to the theory.

It'll be that much more credible if Jessica Chastain fails to win Best Actress. As good as Jennifer Lawrence was in Silver Linings Playbook,